Charlie Kirk Memorial Service at Kennedy Center Draws Thousands to Honor Conservative Leader's Legacy

Please welcome Malia Shirley and Charlotte Perez, dear friends of Charlie Kirk and former Turning Point team members with tonight's welcoming remarks. [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] Please feel free to have a seat. Good evening everyone. My name is Malia Shirley and I'm Charlotte Pres. We want to thank everyone for gathering with us tonight to celebrate the life and legacy of the one and only Charlie Kirk. We also want to thank president of the Kennedy Center, Ambassador Rick Grenell, and his amazing staff without whom this event would not have been possible. [Applause] When the horrific, tragic assassination of Charlie took place on Wednesday, we were devastated, as were millions across the country and the world. As I'm sure many of you have seen, vigils, prayer services, and memorials started popping up everywhere completely organically. We kept waiting to hear of one that was going to be happening in the DC area. And as patience is not the strongest virtue that either of us possess, by Thursday evening, we were going stir crazy and knew we had to do something. That's when we banded together to do what Turning Point quite literally trained us for, to plan a massive event like this with all but 48 hours notice truly to honor one of the greatest men that we've ever known. Another thank you to the over 80 volunteers who were made up as of friends, Turning Point alum, and those simply inspired by Charlie to get involved and lend a hand. It takes an army to pull off something like this. And thankfully, over the past decade, that's exactly what Charlie has built. [Applause] Exactly one year ago today, I stood with Charlie Kirk on campus at the University of Nebraska Lincoln. We were still pushing to get winner take all passed in the Nebraska legislature before the 2024 election. He texted me yet again 48 hours beforehand simply saying, "Hey, if I come to the game Saturday, can we do a pop-up winner take all rally outside of the stadium?" And of course, as one does whenever Charlie asks for something, I said, "Yes, of course, we'll make it happen." And we did. When he showed up to a campus, a crowd of 300 to 400 students greeted him wanting selfies, their MAGA hat signed, or to answer one of his man on the street questions in front of the film crew. I met Charlie for the first time back in 2014 when I was only a freshman in college trying to start a Turning Point USA chapter on my own campus. We really got to know each other in 2017 when that same campus in Nebraska had professors and administrators harassing and yelling profanities at our chapter leader there. We of course got video footage of the insanity, sent it to Charlie immediately, and his response was, "Oh, we're going to make these people famous." [Applause] And we did, if there was any doubt. I've planned a lot of events over the years, both with and for Charlie. From debates with theology professors and campus class tours to county party fundraisers and pop-up rallies, it was incredible to witness the growth of Turning Point USA under his leadership. We went from having to all but bribe people to attend our events on campus because it was not yet cool to be a conservative in politics to having to turn people away at events because we reached max capacity with very little promotion. The one thing I never imagined though was that this would be the last event that I planned for him. I owe a lot in my life to Charlie Kirk, as I know so many do. His ability to invest in you, bring out the best in you, and push you to be better and work harder is unmatched. People like him only come along once in a generation. I'm a better person for knowing him, and we're a better we're a better country because of him. [Applause] Echoing everything Malia just said, our country would look very different today if it wasn't for Charlie Kirk. What started as a small get together on the Washington Monument quickly became very much bigger. We are honored to have so many amazing speakers here with us tonight who knew Charlie well and wanted the opportunity to share their personal close stories with him as I'm sure many of us have. In one way or another, we are all connected by Charlie Kirk. Your MC for the evening will be someone who is very near and dear to my heart from the great state of Arizona, State Senator Jake Hoffman. [Music] Jake has known Charlie for over a decade and has been an integral part in the building and growth of Turning Point. We thank all of you for taking time out of your very busy schedules, especially on such short notice, to help us honor the life and legacy of Charles James Kirk. And with that, our program will officially begin. [Applause] [Music] Ladies and gentlemen, there are plenty of people looking for seats. If you have any seats to open, please go move together so we can have everyone sit. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Arizona State Senator and longtime friend of Charlie Kirk, Senator Jake Hoffman. Well, I got to just say this is a beautiful sight because this is exactly what Charlie would want to see right now. This coming together of young and old, of our nation's leaders, some of the most powerful people on planet Earth are in this room tonight. All because Charlie had an indelible impact on their lives the same way that he had on your lives. You know, there's a lot of thank yous for tonight. I'll just echo what they said. Thank you to Ambassador Grenell and the Kennedy Center staff. I want to thank a specific group of four people who helped make tonight possible. and that Charlotte Perez who you just saw, Malia Shirley, Mike Rehea, and there was so many more than that, but those three put in countless hours of work to make tonight possible. [Music] I want to thank all of you. I want to thank everyone in this room that took time out of their schedule to be here. I want to thank Speaker Johnson for being here. All of the White House administration officials that are here. And we know there are two special individuals in that big, beautiful White House that care about Charlie Kirk, don't we? President Donald J. Trump and Vice President JD Vance love Charlie Kirk just like you love Charlie Kirk. We have over 85 members of Congress here tonight to honor Charlie Kirk. We have national conservative leaders that have flown in on a moment's notice just to be a part of this and to honor the life and legacy and the impact of Charlie Kirk. We have grassroots from all over the DC and Virginia and Maryland areas. Thank you all. I saw buses out there. Anybody who came on a bus, God bless you for doing that. And this impact here tonight goes so much bigger than just what you see in this room because we had every network beg us to live stream this. And so we have Foxes providing pool coverage and there are millions of people that will be watching along with us. Now, this this is a prayer vigil and so bow your heads with me because I want to offer up some words for the night. Dear heavenly father Jesus, we love you and we know that Charlie Kirk loved you dearly. God, we know that you have a plan for our lives. We know that your plan is perfect. And the peace that I have been finding these last few days, God, is that Charlie Kirk, when he sat down at that table, when he picked up that microphone, he knew that no matter what happened, your plan was perfect. God, I pray that you will be with the Kirk family. I pray that you will be with Erica and those little babies. God, just bless them because this week they lost a husband and they lost a dad, God. But we know that Charlie wants us to celebrate, not just mourn. And so we come to you tonight and we ask that you would let this be an honor to his legacy and that we would celebrate him all the like in your name. Amen. So with that in mind, because friends, we are mourning, but we are also celebrating an incredible life. From South Korea to London, Charlie Kirk has had an impact. From student campuses to the White House, Charlie Kirk has had an impact. So I got to ask you, if you are in here and you are under the age of 35 and Charlie Kirk touched your life, let's hear you. You know, there's a motto going around the Turning Point offices right now, and that's we are all Charlie Kirk. Now you are all Charlie Kirk. Now Charlie Kirk sacrificed his life defending our civil liberties to engage in free and open and honest debate. Charlie Kirk, you know, I know a different side of this man. I've known Charlie for a very long time since he was a Chicago boy who was trying to figure out whether he was going to make the move to DC as he grew his organization or whether he was going to move to the heartland. And it was a it was his right-hand man, Tyler Boyer. Tyler Boyer has been by his side since day one. and he convinced Charlie and they decided that it was better to move to the heartland because everyday Americans were who were going to save this country. It was going to be the people that live on Main Street, not the people that perpetually run for office. you know, 2019, it was New Year's Day, and most people on New Year's Day are are, you know, waking up slow and having breakfast because they probably stayed up too late the night before. And I get a frantic text from Charlie Kirk and he says, "Jake, you got to come to the office. We're h we're having a team meeting to strategize for the next three years." And yes, sir, because that's what you do with Charlie Kirk. Charlie Kirk is a personality. He was a personality that when he asked you to do something, you knew in your bones that he knew what he was talking about because his convictions, they weren't driven by personal ambitions. They weren't driven by a desire for celebrity. They weren't driven by a desire for fame or for power or influence or for money. Charlie cared about the principles of America. He cared about the history of America. And he built an organization with people like Tyler by his side and many, many others, thousands of others by his side. He built an organization to give you a voice. And so I hope that tonight this will be an honor to him. I hope that we can do him right by this service. God bless you all. And I want to welcome up Speaker Mike Johnson. Please welcome the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Mike Johnson. [Music] [Applause] All right. Thank you all so much. It does my heart good to see you. And they hear that all the way in heaven. I'm telling you, it's been a very, very difficult week in America. We all know that. It's been a mixture of unspeakable sadness and grief and anger and and even fear. It's as if a a dark shadow was cast over our country and certainly here even on Capitol Hill. Uh the leaders of the nation have been shaken as have university students and college students and young people all across the country. It's as if that the the ground was shifted beneath us. We all felt it deep, deep inside. And in spite of that, we remember that our dear friend Charlie would never want us to be overcome by despair. He would want exactly the opposite. You know, Charlie Kirk recruited and trained and educated a generation of happy warriors. And we do well to be reminded that the best way to honor his memory and to honor his unmatched legacy is to live as Charlie did. That's right. I I I just have two thoughts in a very brief moment I'm given to speak to you tonight. I just want to give you two thoughts with in that regard. I if we can do two things that Charlie did, we will honor that legacy. One is to advance his principles and the other is to adopt his approach. Now, regarding his principles, Charlie was a man of deep faith and conviction. Everyone here can testify to that and all the speakers will tonight. I mean, he meant it to his core. He was authentic and that's what drew people to the message so much. And he believed in the things that are noble and praiseworthy and good that scripture talks about. He believed in family and freedom, faith, and virtue and and patriotism. See, Charlie understood that we live in the greatest nation in the history of the world. It's not even close. I don't care what anybody argues. And Charlie could beat them all. We're the most we're the most free, most successful, most powerful, most benevolent nation that has ever been on the earth. And Charlie understood why. And he wanted others to understand it as well. Because Charlie knew that if you don't understand the source of your freedom, it is easy for it to be taken away. Charlie believed in the creed of our country, which we will celebrate our 250th anniversary next year. Charlie loved to take university students and young people through the second paragraph of the declaration. We hold these truths to be self-evident. By the way, students, what is the self-evident truth? It's something that's obvious. We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal. Not born equal. Created equal. That's what Charlie knew. And Charlie knew that that because of that, because what the founders said, what they articulated that that that that God created us, he's the one that gave us our inalienable rights. Charlie Kirk stood for the principle and he shared it everywhere he could. Our rights do not derive from the state or a king. They come from the king of kings. Charlie also taught so effectively. He did it as well as anybody in his generation or possibly for many generations that the other principles that come from that what the founders do and when they put this country together this grand experiment in self-governance they understood that we are made in the image of God. And because of that, that's right. Because of that, Charlie knew and he believed it and you could see it in how he he advanced this ministry of his. He knew that because we're all made in the image of God, every single person has inestimable dignity and value. And your values not related in any way to the color of your skin or what zip code you live in, where you go to school, it's irrelevant. Your value is inherent because it is given to you by God. That's what Charlie Kirk believed. That's what Charlie Kirk believed. If we could advance those principles that Charlie advanced, we'll be able to save this great republic. And that's what he was all about. But we should also adopt his approach. See, Charlie loved a vigorous debate, but he loved people more. Charlie, that's right. Charlie Charlie was never motivated by hate. I mean, he could clean the [ __ ] of anybody in a debate. We all know it. But you know what he did after those debates? He was always the first person to reach out a hand of friendship or to offer an arm around the shoulder of someone who he felt was lost. Because in many places, in many cases, the people he was debating were indeed lost. Not just philosophically, but spiritually. And Charlie knew the truth. And he knew that eternity awaits us all. We know exactly where Charlie is right now. That's right. [Music] Charlie had such faith and such such belief and he wanted to share that truth with others and what he was trying to do is pull people back from the abyss not just to save a country but to save souls. That's what Charlie Kirk was about and that that will resonate. It goes far beyond him. His legacy is immeasurable. I used to be a lawyer. defended free speech and religious freedom and and all that in the courts and we tried to we talked a lot about advancing and preserving the free marketplace of ideas. I think Charlie Kirk offered more productive content the free marketplace of ideas than anyone in its generation and arguably in the last 100 years of US history. I could go on and on, but I'm out of time because you have a lot of great people to hear from tonight. Everybody has a story about Charlie and they're all worthy to be shared and I would know we'll be doing that for many days to come. I just leave you with a thought from Edund Burke. It's attributed to him and Charlie knew this quote well. He was my friend. We talked about these things. He he reminded young people. All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. Charlie Kirk did so much in his short life that he spurred that on in other people. He inspired it in other people. And that message and that truth will go more boldly now than it did while he was here. It will go forward with power and strength. That's it. I've been asked to offer a brief word of prayer. So, if you would do that with me. Heavenly Father, we come to you tonight in sadness, but also with grateful hearts because we know that your truth endures. We know where our dear brother and friend Charlie is. We thank you that he is receiving his reward and that he's heard those words that we all aspire to hear. Well done, good and faithful servant. Father, help us to remember the principles of your word that Charlie worked every day to advance that we do not return evil for evil, but we overcome evil with good. And we pray that you bless our friend and brother's legacy that it goes on, roars on throughout the nation. That you pray and encourage and inspire Erica, the children, the the Kirk family, the the Turning Point staff and and all the volunteers and supporters and every student around the nation who is who is already connected to this organization and the 18,000 plus inquiries that they received this week for new chapters. Heavenly Father, we pray that you bless that in such a supernatural exponential way that no one can explain it, but that your spirit has been involved. We pray and believe all this and we commit our great nation to you in Jesus name. Amen. Amen. Ladies and gentlemen, the White House press secretary, Caroline Lev. [Music] Good evening everyone. Good evening. Please be seated. Thank you so much. It's such an honor to be here behind a podium. I'm very comfortable behind podiums. And it's really comforting to be around so many good, faithful, God-fearing people at a time when I know we are all still mourning. We're confused. We are angry over the assassination of a legendary American and a friend to so many in this room and so many across the country, Charlie Kirk. The presence of God, and he is a good God. As Erica Kirk so beautifully and powerfully stated, he is a good God. He is clearly present in this room tonight. You can feel the spirit moving and working in this room as we remember Charlie's life and his legacy. I have the honor of going to work every day at the White House as the press secretary for the 47th president of the United States, President. [Music] And I repeat that because I would not be in this position if not for the heroic efforts of Charlie Kirk, who turned the political tide among young people in this country and helped usher in President Trump's historic victory on November 5th, 2024. And I know that point has been said over and over by so many over the last few days, but it's because that point is absolutely true. President Trump's win in November was fueled in no small part by the tireless work of Charlie, the Turning Point organization that he built from scratch out of a garage, the true essence of the American dream, and the MAGA movement that he helped so many young people join. The important work that's being done every day right down the street from here at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue that I witness in to restore American greatness. It's happening in large part due to the blood, the sweat, and the tears that Charlie poured into this movement. Not just during the 2024 cycle, but all the way back to the founding of Turning Point 13 years ago. Charlie fundamentally believed in the potential and the promise of so many in this room, young patriotic Americans, and he inspired millions of us across the country to get off the couch and to enter the political arena to fight for our nation's conservative values. And I too was one of those young people. When I launched my campaign for Congress at just 23 years old during the 2022 midterm elections, most people in this town, pretty much all of the people in this town of Washington did not take me seriously. Charlie Kirk, however, did. Charlie in his political pack, Turning Point Action, immediately embraced me with open arms and endorsed my campaign. Charlie personally and his team would check in with me throughout the campaign. They asked how they could help. And when Washington super PACs poured money into the coffers of my opponent's campaigns, Charlie and Turning Point gave mo me more to me to help me across the finish line. Charlie and his team flew me out to Arizona to introduce me to some of the biggest donors in Republican politics so I could fuel my race. Charlie welcomed me on stage to speak at the Student Action Summit in Florida, to raise national awareness for my candidacy, and to speak directly to young voters. And when most played it safe and stuck to the business as usual approach of the establishment Republican party that no longer exists, Charlie looks Charlie looked for the outsiders, the upand cominging truth tellers with new ideas who weren't afraid to challenge the status quo, just like President Trump whom he loved so much. And I speak on behalf of the president when I say President Trump loved you, Charlie, so much too. When the president appointed me as White House press secretary, Charlie was one of the first people to reach out and congratulate me with genuine sincerity. I still have that text from him, and I will keep it forever. Charlie Kirk was a maverick, an independent-minded person who had the courage of his convictions. When so many influential voices in our society are brainwashing young people to abandon our faith, to stay single, not to have children, and to bash our country, Charlie Kirk offered us an alternative path. Charlie embraced our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and proclaimed the gospel boldly and proudly. [Music] Charlie preached a message of faith to all who would listen. He encouraged young people to get married and to have children. And as a young person who has done it, I encourage you to do that as well. It is the best thing in life. It is the ultimate legacy that we can leave and our most important mission on this earth. Charlie celebrated American exceptionalism and as you heard from our great speaker of the house he firmly believed and he proclaimed that America is the greatest country in the history of the world and that's why and that's why we must continue to fight to protect her. Simply put, Charlie was a beaming light in a world that is so consumed by darkness. It's going to take all of us in this room and all of us across the country to take up Charlie's torch because that's exactly what he would want us to do. We have to lean on our faith, dig in and fight back harder than ever before for the beliefs and the convictions that Charlie Kirk gave his life for. That's how we'll honor his family and that's how we will honor his legacy. If Erica Kirk, God bless her, could speak so powerfully in front of the entire nation just two days after her beloved husband was stolen from her and their two beautiful, precious children, then every single person in this room can rededicate themselves to the righteous cause of keeping America the greatest country in the history of the world. So, as I continue to step before the White House podium, I will continue to pray to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But starting tomorrow, every time I take that podium, I will think of Charlie Kirk. I will remain inspired by his courage and his conviction, and I will continue to speak the truth as Charlie did so well. I will leave you all with a scripture that feels so perfectly written for the time we are in. Romans 12:21. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. We cannot allow evil to prevail in our beautiful country. We must all commit ourselves to doing good. Good for God, good for our families, and good for our nation. In that order, the order that Charlie always spoke about. May God bless you and keep all of you in this room. Thank you. Please welcome the Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gather. Aloha. In the book of Corinthians, Paul said, "Therefore, we are always of good courage." And know that while we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord. We are of good courage, I say, and prefer to rather be absent from the body and be home with the Lord. Ultimately, for every one of us, the time that we have in this world is temporary. Our time will come sooner or later. And so the critical question that we have for ourselves is whatever time we have, what are we doing with it? How are we making the most of every day that we have? [Music] that Charlie Kirk every single day carried out his mission motivated by his faith in Jesus Christ and his unwavering dedication to defending our God-given freedoms enshrined in our Constitution and Bill of Rights because of his commitment and dedication. His impact here and around the world is profound and it is a beautiful thing to see it playing out now. Probably like many of you, I had the privilege of joining Charlie at some of his different campus visits and it was truly something to behold because he did things that no one else would do. as I sat with him in the very first time, huge crowd, thousands and thousands of yes, students, but faculty members and people of all different ages. And the first two or three people who had stood in line waiting to say something to Charlie were very kind and they thanked him for his work. They praised him. They talked about how he positively impacted their lives. It was powerful to witness and to see. But Charlie wasn't there for praise. He would call to the crowd and say, "Hey, who here disagrees with me? Come to the front of the line." He listened carefully to everyone. Even when others in the crowd booed whoever was speaking, he told them to be quiet and to let this person speak, to show them respect. And he engaged in that lively debate. He encouraged it. He welcomed it. And he inspired it in others. not belittling them, not arguing just to argue, but to have a real sincere dialogue. You know, I've said many times, and every soldier lives this fact, this truth. I may disagree with what you say, but I will defend to the death for your right to say it. Charlie lived by this principle. Charlie lived by the principle that no matter how horrible another person's speech may be, their ideas must be defeated by better ideas, not by resorting to violence. You know, Charlie was killed on September 10th. On September 11th, we observed the 24th anniversary of the Islamist terrorist attack on our country 24 years ago. Now, these events have something in common. They were both carried out by those who hold on to ideologies that cannot stand up to scrutiny and challenge. So they feel that their only recourse is to commit an act of violence to silence those who oppose them and to intimidate and terrorize others into silence. This is the definition of terrorism. We cannot allow ourselves to be terrorized into silence. We need to live Charlie Kirk's example, the example that he set that are captured by the words of Reverend Martin Luther King. Darkness cannot drive out darkness. Only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate. Only love can do that. This was more than a quote from an icon in our past to Charlie. He lived this every day and he inspired countless people around the world to do the same to and in the wake of this tragedy. This has been what to me has been beautiful to see how today in you know Sunday football games all across the country these teams were leading moments of silence putting pictures of Charlie up on the big screen having a fly over with the flags flying at half staff to honor the impact of Charlie's life how he positively inspired countless people and how it's up to us to continue Charlie's legacy. It's time for us every day in how we engage with others to choose to live aloha, love, respect. You know, from my home state of Hawaii, the reason why we greet each other with the word aloha is because of its deeply spiritual meaning. It doesn't actually mean hello or goodbye. We greet each other with aloha because what we are really saying when we say aloha is I see you as a child of God and I respect you as such. It is to recognize that God is all powerful and God's love is all powerful. Love is not weak. Respect for others is not weak. There is nothing more powerful than love. Living aloha, living that love and respect. It doesn't mean being a pacifist or rolling over when our ideas are challenged or when our freedoms are under attack. Actually, it's the exact opposite. It means standing up, fueled by love, to defeat hate, to defeat that evil and that darkness, and to speak the truth and defend our fundamental freedoms that are granted to us by God. [Applause] Charlie lived this. Charlie embodied this. And Charlie changed hearts and minds of countless people around the world because he made a conscious choice every day to choose love. I had a friend of mine who sent me a text um the day after Charlie was killed, really distraught, and she said, "What do we do now?" I know the answer should be love. The answer should be peace. But Charlie tried that and it didn't work. And my response to her was, "No, it did work." Powerfully and that's why they killed him. We look at the movement that Charlie inspired around the world. love, truth, freedom, turning to God in good times and hard times, not asking God what he will do for us. But as Charlie said, quote, I am far more interested in God in what God wants from me than what I want from God. He said, my prayer is very simple. God, use me for your will. If only 10 of us committed ourselves to continuing Charlie's mission, that alone would be incredible. To be that fertilizer and that water that will help spread this light that is inspired by God's love. But there are far more than 10 of us. There are countless people Countless people around the world speaking different languages, have different backgrounds, different views and opinions, who are eager to carry on Charlie's mission to spread this light inspired by God's love, which will also expose those who are trying to shut down free speech, trying to silence us through violence, intimidation, and terrorism. It will expose them for who they are and the hollowess and emptiness and weakness of the ideas that they present. [Music] So while we will miss Charlie dearly, our hearts should not be broken because we are confident that Charlie is at home with the Lord. Embrace in the loving arms of Jesus Christ to whom he dedicated his life. Those who are full of anger and hopelessness and hate right now, some of them protesting outside this hall today. Unfortunately, they do not have the spiritual happiness that Charlie experienced. They're empty. And this is where their anger is coming from. It is their rejection of God, their desire to be God. And therefore, they have made God their enemy. I have hope today that every one of us will do our best to shine the light of God's love in our lives and in our work. That we will treat each other with aloha respect and stand strong and unshakable in the defense of our God-given rights and freedoms. May God bless you all and may God bless this great nation. Aloha. Now joining us, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Heat. Heat. [Applause] Yesterday, my 17-year-old niece left for Europe to go to college. And while she was packing, her mother, Amarillis, my daughter-in-law, noticed that she had put a Bible in her suitcase. And Amarillis was curious about it. and she asked her and Zoe said to her, "I want to live like Charlie Kirk. [Music] There are millions and millions of kids around the country who he inspired who now want to live with Charlie Kirk and that's a great thing for our country." I met Charlie for the first time in July of 2001. I went on his podcast and I think we approached each other with a lot of trepidation at that time. But by the end of the podcast, we were soulmates. We were spiritual brothers and uh we were we were friends. And over the next couple of years, our friendship blossom. He ended up being the primary architect of my unification with President Trump, which I did my endorsement at his rally at the Turning Point rally in in Scottsdale. And he was the one who put the Sparklers on the stage. when I when I took it, he made a big show of it. But the the overarching mission of Charlie Kirk was Jesus, but also free speech and he saw them as intertwined. He thought conversation was the only way we were going to heal our country. That we had to learn to talk to each other without vitriol, without poison, without anger. We had to be listen able to listen to ideas. We had to be able to say what we mean without being mean and to talk to each other across this divide. The only way to end the polarization that's driven now by these algorithms and by all these other forces in our society. And that first conversation with him that I had, we talked a lot. We had a wide ranging conversation. And we talked mainly about the first amendment. We talked about the fact that our founders put freedom of speech in the first amendment because all the other rights are dependent on it. A n a government that can silence its opponents has license for any kind of atrocity. [Music] We were we were specifically talking about what happened during the pandemic once the government figured out that we would put up with the censorship and they went after the entire constitution and immediately and immediately took took away our right to assembly, the first amendment right with social distancing regulations. They shut down the first amendment right to worship by closing all of our churches for almost a year and keeping the liquor stores open as essential businesses. They went after our fifth amendment right to pro our property rights. They closed down three and a half businesses with no due process, no trust compensation. They went after our seventh amendment right to jury trials by making whole categories of businesses that we could no longer sue no matter what they did to us. They went after the fourth amendment right for protection against unwarranted searches and seizures with all these social distancing regulations that made us have to produce our medical records before we went to a public building or an airplane or enjoyed other constitutional rights. And Charlie, more than any figure in our country, led the resistance that has restored freedom of speech to this country. And he built this movement, you which is going to make sure that that never ever happens again. When I when my brother David died, I had a conversation with my mother who had been through more than her share of loss and tragedy. And I said, I asked her, I said, "Does the hole that they leave in you when they die, does it ever get any smaller?" and she said, "No, it never gets any smaller, but our job is to build ourselves bigger around the whole. We do that. We do that by taking the best virtues and character traits of the person that we lost and using discipline and restraint and practice integrating those character traits into our own character. And in doing that we make ourselves larger and the whole gets proportionally smaller and we also give that person a kind of immortality because they are now living on the best parts of them are now living on us. In one of my conversations and Charlie was a target-rich environment for virtues. We can all think of something extraordinary to his love of family, his love of God, his love of freedom of speech, his reverence for this country, his belief that we are an exemplary nation. We are unique in history. We're the only nation with this kind of constitution. In Europe, they don't have free speech anymore. We have it here. And we are the beacon for humanity for the rest of the world. and all of those visions, his vision, his mission to preserve those things, his kindness, his kindness in talking to people with whom he disagreed are all things that we need to learn and we need to integrate into our own lives. And as Tulsi said, we need to reach out with love to the people on the other side who are asleep and who are too frightened and too panicked and too controlled to understand what they are losing. And we need to protect those things until they wake up. And I had a conversation once with Charlie where we were talking about the danger that we both face from challenging entrenched interest. And he asked me if I was scared to die. And I said to him, "There's a lot worse things than dying." And one of those [Music] chief among us is losing our constitutional rights and and having our children raised in slavery. And I said to him at that time, I said, "Sometimes our only consolation is that we can die with our boots on. We can die fighting for these things." Charlie gave his life so that the rest of us would not have to suffer those fates worse than death. Now it's our job. He's no longer there to lead us to rush in and fill the beer breach and win this battle for our country, for God, and for our families. Thank you all. Please welcome the senior advisor for the US Agency for Global Media, Carrie Lake. Oh, wow. Charlie, you can still draw a crowd. And uh I know that if Charlie were to be told, "Wow, you you filled up Kennedy Center tonight." He said, "It wasn't me. It was God." It was God. Boy, I miss Charlie. I will say that he would be he'd have a couple criticisms tonight. He'd say, "Where are the smoke machines? Where's the confetti? Where are the sparklers when Bobby Kennedy took the stage? Because Charlie knew how to put on a show to spread the message of Jesus Christ. He really did. You know what? There there's a in the book of Genesis, there's a Bible quote that says in so many words I it it's actually a little easier to understand if I put it in modern language. What the enemy meant for harm, God will use for good. And God is using Charlie Kirk for good. I'm heartbroken about Charlie's loss. 31 and somebody took his life. I got the call on Wednesday. I was working and a friend of mine called and said, "Is is Charlie okay? I heard he was shot." I said, "Charlie who?" Couldn't have been Charie Kirk. And I got on, of course, I went to Twitter. Like, how many of you went to Twitter? to Twitter and I saw a clip of people running and I thought that doesn't look good. That doesn't look good. I knew Charlie was starting up this this amazing movement where he was going to go campus to campus to talk about America and what's happening in America, which is so amazing and so powerful, and talk to people who disagreed with him, debate them. There's nothing more peaceful than that. At first clip I saw was of of people running and I thought that looks bad, but of course everything's going to be fine. And then I saw another clip and it was Charlie being asked a question and out of nowhere an assassin's bullet came through the crowd and hit him in the neck. We saw his head. We saw the blood and we saw him go down. We've got to stop this, folks. We can't let this go on. This violence has got to stop. It's got to stop. And I'm not going to say our side is perfect, but damn it, this is coming from the other side. How does a 22year-old become so filled with hate? Five years earlier, I was told he was a Trump supporter. And we sent our kids off to college and they brainwashed him. I am making a plea to mothers out there. Do not send your children into these indoctrination camps. Don't do it. Do not do it. At one moment, that 22-year-old who shot Charlie was a baby in his mother's arms. And by all accounts, those parents did a good job raising him until he was sent off to be brainwashed. We have lived through the most horrific brainwashing campaign in the history of mankind. And the very fact that we're all here means we have somehow survived it. We've survived it. But too many youngsters are not surviving it. And we got to stand up because some things are nonnegotiable. Our children's minds and futures are non-negotiable. Charlie Kirk came to my house several years ago with Erica. They had just gotten married. I remember asking him about their beautiful wedding rings that were hand they were they were made specifically for them. Matching w rings. Although I will say Erica had a beautiful cascade of diamonds around hers. Charlie, good job. you did a good job with that. And they hadn't they hadn't had children yet and my children joined us at ta the table and it happened to be the day I invited them to dinner. It happened to be by the grace of God the day that President Trump gave me my first endorsement from President Donald J. Trump which is pretty special. [Music] Which by the way, thank you Charlie for helping us make sure President Trump won this time. We got to give him some thanks for that. Charlie's 25 years younger than me. I'm not going to have you do the math. Please do not do the math. If I catch one of you with a calculator on your phone right now, I'm going to have the security guards take your phone. 25 years younger than me. And I was so excited through dinner. I kept saying, "I got the endorsement, Charlie." And he finally said, "Stop. Enough celebrating. Let's play. Let's make the next plan. What's the next step? And for two and a half hours, Charlie gave me the best political advice of anybody in the world. I mean, he better political advice than you could get from anybody who had 60 years on him. And then when he left, he said, "From now on," I thought this was great. He said, "By the way, from now on, your name isn't your first name isn't Carrie. Your first name is Trump endorsed and your last name is Carrie Lake. Use that everywhere you go. I know we don't have a lot of time. There's so many good speakers tonight. This is a battle between good and evil. I wish I wish we could compromise, but you can't compromise with evil. You can't compromise with evil. Charlie didn't go to college. My daughter didn't go to college and said she went and worked for Charlie Kirk and she quit about a year ago and Charlie said, "I heard Ruby quit." And I said, "Well, she's taking your advice. She wants to get married and start a family." And he said, "Well, that's a pretty good reason to quit." So, I miss Charlie already. I know all of you do. I know that you're comforting your children. and you might be comforting one another, but I just ask us all to step up and be strong. Charlie had a shirt when he was taken from us. Do you remember what that said? Freedom. We can't have freedom without faith. And I believe that Charlie will live an even bigger life after after Wednesday than he would have before Wednesday. And I hate to say that because I miss him. But God is using him in such powerful ways. Charlie is not dead. He's got everlasting life. He's got everlasting life. I I tried to sleep in today and I and my beautiful, wonderful husband brought me coffee in bed, which is the best thing ever. Find a good spouse, please, everybody. If you're not married, find one that loves and supports you. And I was reading some I got on Twitter and I and I happened to one of the first things I saw was from Tyler Ber who we love in Arizona. He is Charlie's right-hand man at Turning Point Action. They're trying to put him in prison by the way because of his support for President Trump. So this fight is not over and not by a long shot. We're here today fighting because Charlie and many people before Charlie gave us the courage. But it's not going to be easy. If you think it's going to be easy now, if you're really willing to stand up and fight, it's really going to get harder. They're going to try to cancel you. You're going to lose friends. How many of you have lost friends? Raise. Keep your hand up. How many of you have been cancelled? How many of you have been lawfared? I need three arms. How many of you have been deposed, subpoenaed? It's not going to get easier. It only gets easier when we meet the Almighty in heaven. That's when it gets easier. But until we do, we've got to be up for the fight. Before I leave tonight, I want to read you something that that Tyler shared on Twitter. He said, "Please take the time to look through these posts." It was a woman who had said, "How many of you are going to go to church tomorrow because of Charlie Kirk?" And there were 805 posts as of Saturday night. Today, there were about 8,000 posts. Charlie's going to be remembered for politics, but he's going to be remembered most for bringing people to God. Let me just read a couple of these because they they move me to tears today. I'm going to church because that's exactly where Charlie would want us to be, said one post. One post said, "My husband and I are going to try diving into this journey with our children for the first time ever since Wednesday when Charlie died." Another person said, "I just bought a Bible. I haven't been to church in 10 years. My body hurts. My brain hurts. I need rest. And I only know one way to find it." Another person said, "I bought my first Bible on Friday. First Bible I've ever owned and I'm finally seeing the light of it. How about this one? I haven't been to church, one woman said, since I was 10 or 11. I'm 31. I'm heading to church tomorrow morning with my husband and kids. And I got to find the one I love the most because it was the first Bible verse I reread when I was 50. I can't find it, but I'll tell you what it was. Somebody said, "I bought a Bible. I just read the book of James, which by the way, I highly recommend. It tells you how to be a good Christian, and I'm going to church tomorrow. Charlie, we miss you. We love you. We're going to protect and stand around Erica. She's got an army of mama bears and papa bears and cubs around her. We're stepping forward and we're going to save this republic. You got us going. You gave us a voice. You gave us the strength and we're going to carry on so that we can find the freedom that you have. We love you, Charlie. We miss you. God bless you all. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Congresswoman Anna Pelina Luna. [Applause] I want to thank you all for being here today and start by expressing my deepest gratitude. Not just to those who have joined us here today, but to the millions of Americans who have poured out their love, prayers, and support for Erica, Charlie's family, and the Turning Point USA community during this heartbreaking time. Like so many of you, I'm still struggling to process the reality of Charlie's absence. It's hard to accept that someone so vibrant and so full of life is no longer with us. But in my heart, I know Charlie was not would not want us to throw in the towel. He'd tell us to pick up the mic, to keep pushing, and to carry his movement forward with unwavering resolve. I first met Charlie in August 5th, 2018 at Turning Point USA's Young Women Leadership Sum Summit. I just left the Air Force and was working as a counter trafficking activist planning on attending medical school. At the time, Turning Point was a small organization with maybe a few hundred people at every conference. I vividly remember seeing Charlie walk through the crowd, young, wearing sneakers of course with his suits, yet radiating a larger than-l life aura. And when he passed by, I remember hearing people say, "That's Charlie Kirk." Even then, you could feel his energy, his vision, and his ability to inspire. That conference was my own turning point for me. It's where I met some of my closest friends, many of whom are now some of the most influential and biggest names in conservative and Republican politics. I also saw women I admired speak boldly about issues that mattered. And what I didn't know at the time is that Charlie and Turning Point USA was scouting me to become their national Hispanic outreach director. Charlie had this extraordinary gift of being able to recognize things in people before they realized it for themselves. In 2018, when young conservatives and Republicans were not being engaged by the GOP, Turning Point was ahead of the curve, and that was because of Charlie's vision and leadership. Not long after that summit, I received an unexpected phone call from Fox News inviting me on air. I never done television, and I had no idea how they got my contact. And after pressing the producer, I later found out that Charlie had pitched me to the network in an effort to advocate for me sharing my immigration perspective. That was always Charlie thinking about how to lift up other voices, amplify new perspectives, and strengthen the movement. He understood the challenges that we collectively face together. And he knew that he couldn't do it alone. Shortly after that, I was literally preparing to go to medical school, bags packed, and I kid you not, 24 hours prior, I got a call that changed my life. Hey Anna, it's Charlie Cook from Turning Point USA and I'd like to offer you a job as our national Hispanic outreach director. 24 hours prior guys, that was my fork in the road. Was I going to continue on what I thought my path was or was I going to pay attention to God knocking at the door and showing me that there might be a different one? And so in about six hours, I decided that I would stay and help fight socialism on college campuses alongside Charlie. And that's where the real adventure began. I'll never forget our first tableing campus event. It was in Portland, Oregon. So you know where I'm going with this. You may have seen the video. Charlie Kirk wearing an ice hat sitting at a table with a sign that read, "There are only two genders." As I sat there next to him, student after student approached the debate, often with heated emotions, but Charlie remained cool, calm, and logical. And one by one, no matter how controversial the question was, he would dismantle them with his reasoning. And that's when I realized something. Charlie Kirk did need college. College needed Charlie Kirk. Those college tours are some of my fondest memories. Charlie's work ethic was truly unmatched, only probably rivaled by President Trump. He'd be in on a different plane every day in a new city, at a new campus, all while fundraising, engaging in social media, appearing on different media outlets, and still running Turning Point USA. But yet, when he sat at that table or in the chair, ready to debate anyone, he was truly in his element, fearless, focused, and fully committed to the truth. I saw Turning Point grow from those early days of a few hundred attendees to conferences with thousands upon thousands of young people, all inspired by Charlie's vision. Turning Point wasn't just a nonprofit. It's a movement, a force for change to empower young conservatives to take a stand. Walking into Turning Point's headquarters for the first time, I was struck by the energy of young people, dynamic, creative, and passionate. My age were running the entire operation. They were making politics fun and accessible and impactful. And Charlie had built something extraordinary. And it was truly changing the political landscape. One day, Charlie and I were talking. He said, "Anna, you really need to share your story." He knew my background and understood the power of personal connection. He taught me that while identity politics was real, not everyone thought that way. And stories like mine could help combat the narrative. I remember one of Turning Point's first events at Mara Lago, showing up and being next to this wonderful lady who was looking at him beam on stage. [Applause] I realized I'd been sitting next to Charlie Kirk's mom and how proud she was to see her young boy there. [Applause] I was already on social media, but Charlie showed me how to use it effectively, how to respond to headlines, especially those with false narratives, and how to win the argument with truth. Truth is the best disinfectant, he would say. And he truly lived by that principle. When I decided to run for Congress, I had no idea what I was doing. My own party worked against me, but Charlie was one of the few who backed me from the very beginning. Turning Point helped me knock doors, and Charlie invited me onto his podcast to share my message. In a world where political alliances are often transactional, Charlie asked for nothing in return. To him, it was about saving our country and advancing the movement. He introduced me to some incredible people like Caroline Levit, who was running for office at that time as well. Charlie hosted us both at the Student Action Summit, and I often joke that Charlie's probably the only reason why I have friends. Some of the many people that I'm closest today I met through his organization and this movement. Charlie was more than a commentator or a show host or an online personality. He was a patriot in every sense of the word. He lived to preserve our nation's founding principles, not just through words, but through action. He did not just complain about the state of our country. he did something about it. Even as a private citizen, Charlie advised sitting members of Congress. During the 2022 speakers fight, he called me to check in and asked me what was going on. As I'm sure you guys can imagine, it was kind of chaotic. After explaining everything, he said, "Okay, just make sure that you guys know when to take the deal." All right. President Trump called me shortly thereafter and echoed the same advice. And that's the kind of influence Charlie had. Strategic, brilliant, and trusted. I remember discussing inherent contempt with Charlie. Charlie was fascinated, always eager to dive into the details and strategize. And I saw Charlie evolve from a young man tableabling on college campuses to a global leader where he remained humble and still driven. Whether at conferences, on video calls for media hits, or at Mara Lago, he was always Charlie, encouraging and pushing us to be our best. During this past election cycle, I saw him in Arizona at a campaign stop while I was campaigning with now Vice President JD Vance. He pulled me aside to share messaging tips as he always did. And of course, I took his advice because it always worked. Backstage, he was chatting it up with JD and doing what he did best, building a movement one conversation at a time. The last time I saw Charlie in person was at the Student Action Summit in Tampa. I spoke on a show, addressed the students, and spent time with my friend That day I talked a little bit about the evil that we face in our world. A topic Charlie was passionate about as he used his platform to reach millions not just to discuss politics but to share that his faith and point people toward God. Charlie Kirk will go down in history as one of the greatest political minds and activists of our lifetime. His impact places him alongside transformative figures like Dr. Martin Luther King, John F. Kennedy, and Robert F. Kennedy. Lead leaders who inspired movements, challenged the status quo, and fought for what they believed in. Charlie's legacy is not just in the ideas that he championed, but the countless of lives that he's touched, the voices he amplified, and the movement that he built. Though Charlie's no longer with us physically, his spirit lives on. And in my heart, according to the scriptures, I know that I will see my friend again one day. Since his passing, Turning Point USA has received the request to start over 32,000 new college campus chapters. Churches are overflowing and young people across the country are asking how they can get involved. Charlie's legacy is keeping this movement alive and it's up to us to carry it forward. So, I want to leave you with the very same advice that Charlie gave me once upon a time. Share your story. Get involved. Join the movement. Help others. Run for office. But above all, keep the debate alive and pray. Truth will always prevail. To Erica and Charlie's family, you have my word alongside with every single person that was on the stage and millions of other of Americans, including some of the most powerful voices in Washington DC, that we will continue Charlie's mission. His vision, his courage, and his love of country will live on through all of us. Thank you, and God bless. from the great state of Arizona. Please welcome to the stage Congressman Andy Biggs. We are so fortunate to live in the greatest nation in the history of the world. And we are especially blessed to have lived the two greatest political movements of the 20th and 21st century. First of all, President Trump's MAGA movement [Music] joined at the hip with Charlie Kirk's turning point movement. [Music] They changed the trajectory of a nation and in so doing they changed the direction of the world. We thank them and I thank Charlie Kirk for his courage, his tenacity, his wisdom, his preparation. The first time I met Charlie, everybody's got one of those stories. My I have family members that have worked for him. I have I have nephews that have worked with him for eight years and I had not met the guy and but boy they sure told me how great he was. I met him and I said, "Behold the man [Music] You remember Soulja Niten who basically chronicled life in the goolog of the communist Soviet Union. He interviewed people and in that in that doc chronicle he quotes people time and time again saying the reason we fell to the communists is because we as a people forgot God. [Applause] This past week we rem we are reminded how real evil is. Evil is real and it occurs in a vacuum when we forget God. But we also have something very real happening to us as well. We know that healing healing in the name of Jesus Christ is also real. And so we've we've wept, we've mourned, we've grieved. And that will be for a short season because it is incumbent upon us to take the healing the healing balm of Gilead and march forward on the mission to complete the mission that we are on today which is to save this nation and in turn save the world. That's [Music] That is the mission that Charlie Kirk undertook with confidence. We learn and are reminded if we didn't know before this week that we are eternal beings. Every person that comes here at some point the winds of immortality sweep us away in the sands of time. But each of us has left a mark, a trace, a track. None of us are eancent. We are all eternal. And Charlie has left for us a track. We love him. We embrace him. And we walk and join hand in hand walking that track to broaden it. You see the movement as Anna was talking about and others have talked about has expanded enormously already because it calls to the spirit. It speaks to the heart and to the brain. I loved I always did you watch the Oxford debates? Those are the best debates in the world. Smuggness, arrogance, defeated. So, so as as uh we go and we're getting ready to to leave this venue, let us let us not leave anything behind other than our love for each other, our respect and love for Charlie, our love and concern for Erica and their beautiful family, our love for this nation, our love for our fellow Amen. We'll walk out with our preparation, a commitment to be like Charlie was. I mean, Charlie was always smart. He was the smartest dude. We will be eloquent and patient but firm and convicted in our principles. And I feel to tell you this before I do this. Um Winston Churchill was an emotional man. I'm trying not to be like Winston Churchill tonight, but I feel impressed to share with you and join and Charlie in my testimony that Jesus Christ is the son of a living God. He is my savior and your savior. He is my redeemer. He is your redeemer. And as and as the savior taught, no man cometh to the father but by and through Jesus Christ. We are eternal beings. Charlie's eternal. He rests in the in the bosom of our Lord and Savior. And I would I would suggest that each one of us now has an additional mission and the mission is to preserve the freedom of this country. The first amendment is as Secretary Kennedy talked about what it's not just about free speech either is it? It is about free speech so we can worship and that's what we want to do. And so we walk out of here heads held high recommitted to our mission preservation of freedom and understanding our relationship to God and Jesus Christ our our our savior. [Applause] [Music] Join me in wishing and praying that God will bless Erica. God will bless each of you. God will bless our great President Donald J. Trump. God that God will bless this country that it will endure until that happy day and that God will bless Charlie. May Charlie rest in peace and may us, each one of us now go forward in the season of work and be happy warriors, always willing to do what we need to do to further the cause of freedom and justice. God bless all of you. Thank you. to offer closing reflections. Once again, please welcome Arizona State Senator Jay Hoffman. [Music] Let's hear it one more time for the entire team here at the Kennedy Center. Let's hear it for Ambassador Rick Bernard. None of this would have been possible without that entire team's dedicated commitment to honoring the life and legacy of Charlie Kirk. Charlie Kirk taught us that one man plus God equals a majority. It is our job to now carry on the torch that Charlie Kirk lit. That is faith in Jesus plus courage of conviction plus unabashed truth is how we will usher in the next 250 years of freedom like our founding fathers ushered in the first 250 years of freedom. Now, I have to give one shout out to all of those young 20somes and 30somes working at Turning Point right now with Erica Kirk at the helm with leaders like Tyler Ber and Justin Strife and Marina Mus and Amy Smith and all of the dedicated young people who are out there preparing to go to battle for truth to stand up and double down and triple down in the face of their founder being slain by an assassin's bullet. We are all Charlie Kirk now and let's join them in this fight. Let's carry the cause of freedom and let's honor Charlie K once and for all. Charlie, we love you. We miss you. But we will fight to continue your legacy. God bless you all for coming. Let's have some worship. [Applause] [Music] All my life you have been faithful. All my life you have been so so good. With every breath that I am, I will sing of the goodness of God. All my life, all my life, you have been faithful. All my life you have been so so good with every breath that I am made. And I will sing of the goodness of God. Your goodness, your goodness is running after. It's running after me. [Music] Your goodness is running after. It's running after me. With my life laid down, I surrender now. I give you everything. [Music] Your goodness is running after. It's running after me. Come on, sing. Your goodness. And your goodness is running after. It's running after me. Your goodness is running after. It's running after me. With my life laid down, I surrendered now. I give you everything. Your goodness is running after. It's running after me. Now, could you go ahead and get out your phone with your light on it if you don't have a candle? We only had 500 candles and a lot more people. So, come on everybody, get your phone with your light. Come on, everybody. All over, on the top, on the bottom, every every light on all across America, churches were full. People showing up to worship Jesus. Spurred on by Charlie. Let's sing this out together. And I have decided to follow Jesus. I have decided to follow Jesus. [Music] I have decided to follow Jesus. No turning back. back. No turning back. Though none go with me, though none go with me, still I will follow. Though none go with me, still I will follow. Though none go with me, still I will follow. No turning back. [Music] No. Come on, one more time. I have decided. Come on, sing it out. And I have decided to follow Jesus. [Applause] I have decided to follow Jesus. [Music] I have decided to follow Jesus. No turning back. No turning back. And no turning back. No turn. All right. You're just listening in there as the memorial service wrapping up at the Kennedy Center. We saw different Republican lawmakers, conservative leaders at that event as they're honoring Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist that was fatally shot at UVU on the campus there in Oram, Utah earlier this week. I made him.